Signors



July 10, 1928.

- 1,677,098 T. c. PROUTY ET AL 1 PROCESS OF MAKING TILE Filed March 7, 1925 a W U v 6 I I ZMLZ Hz for;

Patented July 10, 1928.

UNITED STATES I 1,677,098 PATENT OFFICE.

THEODORE C. PROU'IY AND WILLIS O. PROUTY, OF HERMOSA BEACH, CALIFORNIA, AS SIGNORS, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, T0 AMERICAN ENCAUSTIC TILING COMPANY, LTD., OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, A. CORPORATION OF NEW YORK. i

PROCESS OF MAKING- TILE.

Application filed March 7, 1925.

The purpose of our invention is the pro duction of dry-pri-rssed tiles so formed that each tile presents the appearance ot'a com-- posite structure built up of separate pieces of different colors assembled to form any selected design. Etl'orts have heretofore been made to produce such a product using plastic mixtures for the bisque, but mixtures that are plastic or that can be poured do not preserve their form with sufiicient precision in firing to give a product reproducing with su'llicient fidelity the appearance of a design consisting of assembled varicolored pieces. Furthernun'e plastic mixtures are not adapted to the rapid and precise formation of the original design with such uniformity and rapidity as is neces sary for the production of ornamented tile in quantity and at a low cost. In the proc oi molding dry bisque mixtures the mixture is subjected in the mold to a pressure of several hundred pounds per square inch. lVith this pressure I have found it possible to impress any desired design in rece ed lines on the face of the tile and that a design so impressed is perfectly preserved in the tired bisque. I then apply glazes oi different colors to the areas defined. by the recessed lines, this operation, of course, being performed by hand. The tile is then tired in the glaze kiln, thus producing a tile bearing a design formed by separate areas of different colors separated by recessed lines. Subsequently the recessed lines or grooves are tilled with cement thus produc iu the exact appearance of joints between the areas of different colors, and the visible part of the finished product differs in no respect from a design formed by assembling and cementing together separate pieces of difi'erent colors. The grooves may be filled by simply applying a mass of cement to the face of the tile and then wiping off the sur plus. The art of the cement which has been presse into the grooves will remain when the surface of the tile is wiped. The design formed upon each tile may be either in itself a complete and separate ornamental configuration or it may be part of a larger pattern extending over a number of tiles.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 represents a dry-molded tile as it comes from the molding press and bearing a design outlined in recessed lines.

Serial No. 13,887.

Figure 2 is a cross section on the line oi Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a tare view of the finished 'lile showing the recessed lines tilled with cement.

Figure 4i is a section on line l-t of Figure 3.

Figure 5 shows the application of my invention to a paneled wainscoting in which the complete design of the panels made up of parts borne by separate tiles embodying my, inventi on.

Figure (5 consists of views of tour tiles bearing the designs which are assembled to form the panels shown in Figure I ,re T is a view of a multiple tile, that is a la go sheet or slab of tiling of the thickness of tiles ot the usual size and having upon its surlace lines formed by my process, these lines representing the couliguratiou of tiles ot the and torn) heretofore i'lsed The double lines, B, in Figure l rcpresiuit the reccss-ied lines or grooves which. dcline the outline of the design on the dry pressed tile as it comes from the molding press. The die by which the design is impressed upon the dry bisque mixture is formed in raised lines thereon. The die may be made by simply cutting the design in intaglio in some soft metal or other material such as plaster or papier macho and then using the intaglio design so formed as a mold from which to cast the die in any suitable metal as brass or type-metal. The recessed lines or grooves, 13, may be made of suitable depth to hold the cement and Oili such width as to accurately simulate a joint between separate pieces. In the design illustrated if the area C were made black, the areas D red and the remainder, E, of the face of the tile white the appearance of the finished tile would be identical with that of a design formed by assembling and cementing together separate pieces of these colors.

In Figure 5 we have shown a paneled Wainscot. In the construction of wainscoting of this type from the materials and by the methods heretofore used it has been necessary for the tile setter to cut the tiles in the positions designated by the letters G, H and I in order to reduce them to the dimensions necessary to receive the sections of frieze-strip F, the strips F being separate pieces of tile of the form and size necessary to form the panel desired. The cutting of the tile and manufacturing andsetting the separate frieze strips are a source of increased cost, which cost is increased by the breakage incident to cutting the large number of tiles of reduced dimensions necessary for a panel design of this type. By our invention the manufacture of the four special tiles shown in Figure. 6 renders it possible to produce the paneled Wainscot shown in Figure 5 without cutting any of the tiles and with no extra operation-on the part of the tile-setter other than merely selecting the right tiles to make the outline of the panels. The corner tile having the rightangle panel band, the tile having the panel band at one side and those for narrow panborder design of any form may be used. In

fact designs of any kind, panels or otherwise, that spread over a number of tiles may be formed as above described, and any of the designs so formed present the appearance of being assembled from separate pieces. The depth of the grooves should be not substantially less than their Width and the glaze mixture should be so -applied that it will not enter the grooves.

A further field of usefulness for my in vention is illustrated in Figure 7, Whichrepresents an area that would ordinarily be covered. by a considerable number of tiles depending-on the size used; Tiles six inches square are the largest now in common use. By the use ofmy invention the entire area represented in Figure 7 can be covered by a single large tile bearing recessed lines filled with cement and perfectly simulating hesives suitable for glass or porcelain, or

such substances may be applied to the grooves after the glaze has been fired an before filling them with cement.

We claim: r

The process of making an integral mul tiple tile body having the appearance'of an assemblage of a plurality of tiles, Which comprises the operations of molding under pressure a dry bisque mixture by means of dies of the form of the desired multiple tile body and one of said dies having thereon a relief: design outlining the forms of a plurality of separate tiles and adapted toform grooves in the face of the multiple tile body, tiring the multiple tile body so formed to produce the bisque, applying glaze mix ture to the areas-of said bisque'between and defined by said grooves, again tiring said tile body bearing the glaze mixture. so applied, and subsequently filling said grooves with cement. I

In testimony whereof, We have subscribed our names.

THEODORE o. PROUTY. WILLIS o. PRO'UTY. 

